Hockey hodge-podge: Everything from that stick salute to McLellan’s latest line juggling

Not a lot of actual news today beyond what’s on the previous post. But I’ve got a little breathing room on a print edition story for tomorrow, so why not use it to catch up on some topics that have been circulating the past few days.

Like the Sharks’ salute to the fans, the raising of sticks at center ice following each of the two games at HP Pavilion this season.

“We used to do it in Europe. It’s a nice touch and I just figured, hey, let’s try it over here,” said Joe Thornton, who organized the tribute on opening night. “I think it’s gone over well.”

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Thornton played in Davos, Switzerland, during the 2004-05 NHL lockout and said he has been wanting to do it here for a while now.

“This year just seemed like a good one to start,” he said.

The New York Rangers have been doing it for years, and Scott Nichol said the Predators did something similar after every home win in Nashville.

So does Thornton envision the salute happening every game, win or lose?

“We’re not sure yet,” he said, before reverting to his optimisic ways. “Hopefully we can just keep winning and we don’t have to find out if we do it when we lose.”

Not every player got the memo, apparently, as both Rob Blake and Patrick Marleau already were heading to the locker room on opening night before the gesture began.

****Speaking of Marleau, I floated the notion past Todd McLellan that his former captain actually seems faster, or maybe quicker this season than a year ago.

“I don’t know physically if he’s gotten bigger stronger, faster,” McLellan said. “I just think he’s a very determined individual right now — and that might make him a lot quicker than any of the work he did in the gym this summer.”

****Evgeni Nabokov is treating that little cross-check on his own defenseman, Jason Demers, in the final minute of that 6-3 victory over Columbus as no big deal.

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“The puck went up and I was on one side of the net. I was just trying to get there in a hurry,” Nabokov said. “I had no idea who that was actually. I just saw the pants and gave him a push. Some people are saying it looked pretty hard. Maybe it was in the moment of the game, but I actually do that quite a bit.”

Nabokov said he and Demers haven’t even bothered to talk about the incident.

****Speaking of Demers, McLellan said he very much likes what he’s seen so far despite the occasional miscues by the 21-year-old rookie defenseman.

“He is going to be exposed to some of the tricks of the trade every night,” McLellan said. “Rick Nash picked his pocket and that’s going to happen. We just have to continue to put him on the ice.

“I’ve liked his game and I really believe he does a lot of things that will keep him in the NHL for a long time. It’s some of the other things that he does that we’d like to polish up a little bit.”

McLellan mentioned a play in the third period against Minnesota, when Demers threw a pass up the middle of the ice.

“We don’t mind him using the middle,” McLellan said, “but we have to execute that.”

Demers mentioned that moment, too, when we talked.

“That’s our play on the breakout, but at that time of the game, just taking that risk, I should have played it along the boards,” Demers said.

Overall though, Demers felt his Minnesota game was an improvement.

“Against Columbus, I don’t think I was playing my game – taking too long with the puck, overthinking things when I had a simple play,” he said. “Last night I just tried to make the simple play.”

****Finally, McLellan’s decision to mix up his third and fourth lines is a reflection of what he saw when he juggled things around midway through the Minnesota game, putting Scott Nichol at center between Benn Ferriero and Jed Ortmeyer.

“I liked the energy that Ortmeyer , Nichol and Ferriero brought the game in the second half,” McLellan said. “They’re all quick, they get to loose pucks quickly so we’ll try to keep that together for a little bit . . . Still looking for the right combinations.”

Nichol recognized the line juggling for what it is.

“They’re just changing up,” he said. “Benny and Orts, we just had a little chemistry there the second half of the game. That’s hockey. You play so many games. Some games you get stymied and then he switches it up. It creates a little bit of offense and a little bit of energy. With our bottom two lines, you can mix and match whatever.”

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.

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I think #15’s happiness has also to do with getting out of a hostile environment in Ottawa. Don’t know and don’t care who and how the environment became hostile…all I care is that he is adding a big punch to the top line, not just sitting there waiting for a pass, he is contributing in many ways.
His first couple of regular season games where not stellar, but he is now showing us what he is capable of, he is not a one dimensional player.

I don’t miss Cheech and much less Michalek. Cheeck had a great year and benefitted from JT’s arrival, I hope that both JT and DH benefit from their partnership this year and they both get the hardware (Top scorer, top points and the one we all want the team to bring home…).

Tano

Talking about Michalek (Mihalek) or Mikalek….in a recent interview with the Ottawa press, or ESPN press, he was asked how to pronounce his name correctly…..nooooooooooo not back to that Ferry-oh thing again….

He said that Mikalek was a closer pronunciacion to the real way, than Mihalek….. so much for our resident broadcasters and their ability to pronounce non Americanized names….

Just saying….no need to start a string of messages on “hooked on phonics”, like somebody quoted some days ago…

y

ice…leave Shelly alone. Staubitz is a middle weight.(period) He’s never going to fill Shellys shoes…unless you count getting beat up as filling his shoes. Shelly has a role to play, and plays it when called on.
Staubitz is an energy player similar to a Mark Smith who will fight on occasion. That’s it. Yes, he beat up Tootoo…get over it.

Tano

I don’t have a problem keeping Shelley, provided he stops taking dumb penalties at the worst possible time, when the Sharks are pumped up working on a come back.

On Saturday he did just that, luckily the team managed to overcome Shelley’s stupidity and Marleau scored (yes I know, with an assist from Shelley) to tie the game up.

Staubitz also takes stupid penalties at the worst possible time. Shelley has been playing at NHL level for a much longer period, he should have more sense than Staubitz to judge his approach to the game.

I also agree that the weight difference in those two guys is big enough to prevent Staubitz from being effective with heavy weights.

The question is, Nichol is a pest, so do you really need to suit up Nichol, Staubitz and Shelley for the same game, my opinion is no. That is even without thinking of bringing McLaren back from Woosta.

guatemalan salsa

#40
so during the summer i was hoping DW would hold off on heatley, keep cheech and the hoff (later milan) and then go for Kovalchuk next year. im pretty sure it would have been possible unless there was a significant drop in the Cap.

at this point im pretty stoked with heatley

i just think that if you put kovie on a contending team he would go nutts.

im 90% percent sure he wont be in Atl next year if he ends the season without a new contract.

if a team like the wings gets him…..
all bad.

like i said though,
im pretty confident with heatley but we wont really know til the end of the season.

ice

i dont need to leave shelly alone. i see him as a lazy penalty man who doesnt really fight that well. this is my opinion and i am entitled to it, as all of you are.

crescent

OMG, the Rangers DO NOT do a stick salute when they lose. That would be so California fake positive if the Sharks tried that.

crescent

Pollak, you’re just not thinking, are you? What are the Sharks supposed to do if they lose? Wait politely while the other team congratulates their goaltender and then take the ice themselves for a lame stick wave?

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